New to hog hunting

[SteveR]

Welcome to hog hunting. I haven't seen this addressed but from my experience the best place to aim for on a hog is the shoulder, if using a larger caliber rifle, or what passes for a neck, especially if using a smaller caliber. Don't aim behind the shoulder like on most animals as the hogs vitals are a little further forward. I use mostly 55 gr .223 and try for a neck or better yet a brain shot and they usually drop right there. Having said all that, I've hit them far back in the gut with the .223 and they dropped and had them run off with shoulder shots from a 308 Win, and everything in between. The one thing I've found is that hogs are consistent in their in-consistency. Just burn a lot of powder and find out what works for you in your area.

 

[Canadianhoghunter]

Look for water sources. Hogs don't have sweat glands and cannot get too far from water. You won't see any hogs if you put a bait pile 3 miles from the nearest water hole.

Ok, how far from a source of water should I place a bait pile, or these rubbing posts you mentioned earlier?

 

[scrmblr1982cj8]

Ok, how far from a source of water should I place a bait pile, or these rubbing posts you mentioned earlier?

I'd think that if you were within 1/2 of a mile you would be fine. They will travel further than that in search of food, but I think the further away you bait the less likely you are to see them.

Around here, we have swamps and creeks all over, so it is hard not to bait near water.

 

[Canadianhoghunter]

I'd think that if you were within 1/2 of a mile you would be fine. They will travel further than that in search of food, but I think the further away you bait the less likely you are to see them.

Around here, we have swamps and creeks all over, so it is hard not to bait near water.

Awesome. 1/2 a mile will work for what I got.

 

[scrmblr1982cj8]

Awesome. 1/2 a mile will work for what I got.

The warmer the weather, the closer you need to be to water. When it is early spring or late fall, I'd feel ok moving bait piles out further.

The biggest thing is trial and error. Try a spot. If they don't hit the bait after a little while, try moving it elsewhere.

 

[Canadianhoghunter]

The warmer the weather, the closer you need to be to water. When it is early spring or late fall, I'd feel ok moving bait piles out further.

The biggest thing is trial and error. Try a spot. If they don't hit the bait after a little while, try moving it elsewhere.

Just thought of this. What if I were to leave some bait along a river side, while I continue walking down the river for another couple of clicks. When I start heading back I would be able to walk into my bait I set earlier. Would this tactic work?

 

[scrmblr1982cj8]

Do a google search on a hog's sense of smell. They have an incredible sense of smell.

I did a search a few moments ago. The one I looked at was from Texas A&M. It stated that they are capable of smelling some odors from 5-7 miles away. They can probably smell DJ from twice that distance.

From what I know about your situation, I'd recommend staying some distance downwind from your bait. Whenever you walk through the woods, you leave your scent. It stays there for a period of time. If the hogs cross your path days after you, they can still smell you. There is no way to hide it, so it's better not to leave it.

You are wanting to hunt on virgin ground, so hogs will find your scent completely foreign. Most of us hunt in areas that people frequent (farms, etc) so hogs are somewhat used to human scent and are not as suspicious of our odors. That's not the case for you. I'm thinking that the less you potentially expose the hogs to your scent the less likely you are to drive them away.

Since you cannot hunt at night (when hogs are more active) I'd recommend starting with a few bait piles or rubs. Put trail cameras out. Start to pattern their movements. Don't jump in the deep end too early.

 

[Canadianhoghunter]

Do a google search on a hog's sense of smell. They have an incredible sense of smell.

I did a search a few moments ago. The one I looked at was from Texas A&M. It stated that they are capable of smelling some odors from 5-7 miles away. They can probably smell DJ from twice that distance.

From what I know about your situation, I'd recommend staying some distance downwind from your bait. Whenever you walk through the woods, you leave your scent. It stays there for a period of time. If the hogs cross your path days after you, they can still smell you. There is no way to hide it, so it's better not to leave it.

You are wanting to hunt on virgin ground, so hogs will find your scent completely foreign. Most of us hunt in areas that people frequent (farms, etc) so hogs are somewhat used to human scent and are not as suspicious of our odors. That's not the case for you. I'm thinking that the less you potentially expose the hogs to your scent the less likely you are to drive them away.

Since you cannot hunt at night (when hogs are more active) I'd recommend starting with a few bait piles or rubs. Put trail cameras out. Start to pattern their movements. Don't jump in the deep end too early.

Ok. I will stick to the basics then. Thanks for the info.

 

[BigRedDog]

use game cameras to monitor your baits

put out several and see what works this month